A Christopher Columbus Timeline

The Early Years:

1451	Born in Genoa, the son of a wool merchant and weaver.
1476	Swims ashore when his ship is sunk in a battle off Portugal.
1476	Joins his brother Bartholomew, a cartographer, in Lisbon.
1477-1482	Makes merchant voyages as far as Iceland and Guinea.
1484	Conceives of "The Enterprise of the Indies." Fails to convince King John of Portugal to back the plan.
1485	Moves to Spain.
1492/1/2	Ferdinand & Isabela capture Granada, the last Moorish city in Spain.

The First Voyage:

1492/8/2	Departs from Palos, Spain (near Huelva)
1492/9/6	Departs Gomera (Canary Islands) after repair and refit.
1492/10/12	New world sighted at 2:00 a.m. by Rodrigo de Triana, somewhere in the Bahamas.
1492/10/29	Arrives at Cuba.
1492/11/22	Martín Alonso Pinzón, captain of the Pinta, deserts the expedition off Cuba.
1492/12/5	Columbus arrives at Hispaniola.
1492/12/25	Flagship Santa Maria sinks off Hispaniola. Columbus founds La Navidad.
1493/1/6	Pinzón rejoins Columbus.
1493/1/16	Columbus departs Hispaniola for Spain in the Niña.
1493/2/14	Niña and Pinta are separated again in a fierce storm.
1493/2/15	Sights Santa Maria Island in the Azores.
1493/3/4	Arrives at Lisbon, Portugal.
1493/3/15	Niña and Pinta return separately to Palos, Spain.

The Second Voyage:

1493 September	The Grand Fleet of 17 ships departs Cadiz.
1493/10/13	Departs Hierro (Canary Islands), sailing WSW
1493/11/3	The island of Dominica sighted at dawn; Guadeloupe shortly after.
1493/11/22	Arrives at Hispaniola.
1493/11/28	Returns to Navidad, finds fort destroyed.
1493/12/8	Founds new colony of La Isabela.
1494/4/24	Sails from Isabela in search of mainland.
1494/4/30	Arrives at Cuba.
1494/5/5	Arrives at Jamaica.
1494/5/14	Returns to Cuba.
1494/6/13	Starts the return to La Isabela.
1494/8/20	Reaches Hispaniola.
1496/3/10	Departs from La Isabela for Spain.
1496/6/8	Reaches the coast of Portugal.

The Third Voyage:

1498/5/30	Departs from Sanlucar, Spain, with six ships.
1498/6/19	Arrives at Gomera (Canary Islands); splits fleet into two squadrons.
1498/7/4	Departs from the Cape Verde Islands.
1498/7/31	Arrives at Trinidad.
1498/8/13	Leaves the Gulf of Paria, arrives at Margartia.
1498/8/19	Arrives at Hispaniola.
1500 October	Columbus is arrested and sent home in chains.

The Fourth Voyage:

1502/5/11	Departs from Cadiz, Spain, with four ships.
1502/6/29	Arrives at Santo Domingo, Hispaniola.
1502/7/30	Arrives at the Mosquito Coast, modern Nicaragua.
1503/1/9	Establishes garrison at Rio Belen.
1503/4/6	Garrison attacked by Indians and abandoned.
1503/4/16	Leaves Rio Belen for home.
1503/6/25	Ships beached and abandoned at Jamaica, marooning crew.
1504/6/29	Crew rescued from Jamaica.
1504/11/7	Columbus returns to Spain.
1506/5/20	Columbus dies at Valladolid.